The Department of Transportation is serious about getting rid of the city’s pesky pothole problem. The severe winter weather has left city streets riddled with an overabundance of the craters. The DOT, which has been under fire for their slow rate of pothole repair, is responding with a full-out effort to fill as many of the potholes as possible and help the public report them more easily.
The DOT is taking full advantage of the break from the freeze-and-thaw cycle–which, along with heat and road stress from constant traffic, creates potholes–with a blitz that includes more manpower and a dedicated website.
DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan announced on Feb. 16 that an additional $2 million has been added to the agency’s $190.4 million budget to fund extended repair efforts, including 30 crews working 20 extended weekdays and 40 crews working 10 weekend days through the end of April. This means that an additional 40,000 potholes will be repaired and 30,000 square yards of strip paving will be placed through the end of April.
On average, the DOT fills about 2,000 potholes, but with 30 crews working 10-hour shifts, that number can increase to between 3,000 and 4,000 repairs in a single day.
“Winter has not let up this year, and neither have our roadway repair efforts,” said Sadik-Kahn. “Our crews have already filled nearly 85,000 potholes this year and now these reinforcements will help make our streets safe and smooth, and keep New York’s economy moving.”
To make it easier to track the pothole-filling progress, the DOT has launched the Daily Pothole, a blog that reports on the agency’s efforts citywide, complete with maps and photos of repairs in progress. The site also reports on how many potholes have been repaired to date. You can also avoid the annoying and time-consuming electronic phone maze by filling out a pothole report form on the website.
Sadik-Kahn is quoted on the Daily Pothole as saying, “Mother Nature has thrown everything at us this winter and we’re striking back.”
For the latest pothole update, visit thedailypothole.tumblr.com.